Preserving meat



(No Model.)

J D. REED.

PRESBRVING MEAT.

Patented Feb. '7, 1888.

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NrTnio STATES JOHN D. REED, OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PRESERVING MEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,404, dated February 7, 1888.

Application filed May 10, 1896. Serial No. 201,656. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHND. REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Preserving Meats; and I do hereby declare the following` to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention,sueh as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the preserving of meats, more particularly those which are treated or cured by the process of smoking; and it consists, primarily, in the method whereby the meat is roasted simultaneously with and during the act of smoking; furthermorein the employment of corn-cobs as the fuel by which said process is accomplished in a more efficacious manner, with far better results as regards the flavor and quality of the meat, also the saving of time in effecting the operation.

My invention further relates to the appara tus, hereinafter more fully described, by which said process is carried out, and which is adapted to the use of corn-cobs as fuel.

The drawings accompanying this specification represent,in Figure l,asectional elevation, and Fig. 2, a plan, of an apparatus adapted to perform thel process which embodies my in vention.

Hitherto in the preservation and curing of meat various methods and processes have been tried, of which treatment with chemicals and by smoke have been the ones most commonly adopted. In most cases, however, the meat, after undergoing such treatment of curing, has been left in a raw or uncooked condition.

My invention has for its object the curing of meat for immediate use, and is effected by smoking,and simultaneously with said process and with the heat generated by the combustion of the fuel which produces the smoke to effect the roast-ing of said meat, thus preserving it and at the same time rendering it fit for immediate use.

Now, in the process of curing by smoking, I prefer to use corn-cobs exclusively as fuel, since they are cheap, readily obtainable in large quantities, and, most important of all, impart a most beneficial effect and produce a peculiarly nice flavor in the meat subjected to the smoke resulting from their combustion; hence I have adopted the apparatus, which 1 shall now proceed to describe, and which is modified in its construction to the burning of corn-@obs as fuel in the roasting and smoking process.

In said drawings, A represents the preserving apparatus lined with sheet metal, a, or with some other non-combustible material, wherein the meat is roasted and smoked simultaneously, the size and shape of this chamber depending entirely upon its location or the demands and req'uirements of the business in which it is to be employed. Vithin the chamber is located the furnace B, which is prefcrably circular in form, and is provided with a grate, b, disposed near the bottom, while the feed-doorc is in the upper portion in order to contain a large amount of fuel or a deep fire. Entrance is had to the preserving-chamber through the door F, which is made to close snugly to render the chamber as nearly airtight as possible.

The top plate of the furnace is perforated at d d for smoke-apertures, and is surmounted with a metallic deflector or guard-plate, O, somewhat larger than the furnace. Above this is the smoking-chamber D, and this plate is arranged to prevent any flame which may arise from the furnace scorching or injuring the meat then in process of preserving.

At e is shown a peephole, connected with the furnace by the pipe f, and by means of which the state of combustion of the fuel in the furnace is readily ascertained, and then controlled by apparatus to be now described.

In this invention or process of roasting and smoking at the same time the conditions are somewhat altered than when either of these acts are performed separately; hence I have constructed the chamber A to provide for both contingencies. For the smoking part of the process said chamber is made air-tight, or approximately so, and provided with the flue E, which leads from the top of said chamber, and fitted with two or more dampers, g g, so as to prevent all air-currents, if desired. On the other hand, to secure the necessary combination for generating the heat requisite for the IOO roasting, I have arranged a pipe or duct, h, through which a supply of airis to be forced by a bellows, or other ysuitable means, into and within the furnace. Thus it will be seen that 5 the apparatus can be easily governed to produce either heat or smoke, or both, just as the process requires. By this method of roasting and smoking several advantages are secured,

the most important of which .is the economy in' 1o time, since by the application of heat to effect the cooking of the meat then in process the pores of the latter are opened and the smoke is free to penetrate more thoroughly and readily; hence, in lieu of treating a ham forty- 15 eight hours or more, as is now required iu smoking,when they are still left in a raw state,

said smoking process-can be accomplished by my method and apparatus in eight hours, and the meat is cooked and smoked at the same time in four hours or thereabout.- Furthermore, the use of corn-cobs as fuel plays an important part in obtaining the results, since I nd that meat so roasted and smoked is decidedly superior to that treated with wood or 2 5 other kinds of fuel, and the fatty portions lose certain objectionable qualities and have a peculiar'Y flavor imparted to them, which cau-- not be attained with other fuel.` Y

I am aware that smoking and boiling have been combined in one and the same process; 3o but this is obviously a difficult matter and requires au intermediary agent (a bladder) to produce the result. In my processthe meat 4 is hung up as in the ordinary method of smoking, but at the same time roasted instead of 35 being left in an uncooked state after the smok, ing, as is now universally practiced.

` I claim- In combination with an airtight smokechamber, a furnace located thereon and hav 4o ing a number of perforations inits top for the escape of smoke, and the plate C, supportedA upon and raised above said furnace, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 45 presence of two witnesses.

Y JOHN D. REED.

Witnesses: v

E. E. LODGE,

F. CURTIS. v 

